Rather Be In Vegas
by Regency
Summary: AU. Wilson's getting married again, but House isn't there.


Author: Regency

Title: Rather Be In Vegas

Pairing: Wilson/Amber

Rating: PG

Warning: implied character death, AU

Word count: 626

Spoilers: vague _House's Head_/_Wilson's Heart._

Summary: Wilson gets married again, but House isn't there.

AN: Constructive criticism is always welcome, folks. Hit me with your best shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters recognizable as being from _House, M.D_. They are the property of their respective producers, writers, and studios, not me. No copyright infringement was intended and no money was made in the writing or distribution of this story. It was good, clean fun.

~!~

Wilson didn't want to think about House on his wedding day. He tucked a flower into his lapel—the rose she liked, the color she chose—and tightened his own tie. He carried the rings in his pocket for himself.

The church was beautiful and the music was nice—the venue she wanted and the song she loved. They fought the whole two weeks before the wedding and he'd already called the lawyers, but he couldn't see not following through with this commitment. He had given the one thing he had for this love, the least he could do was go all the way.

In the back of his mind, he could see House holding up his hand mouthing, _Three down, one more to go. _Were he here, Wilson would have rolled his eyes and enumerated all the things that made he and Amber perfect together, all the things that ensured this marriage would outlast the others. House would have rolled his eyes right back and limped off, grumbling about the dangers of leggy doctors with squish mittens. He would have done that if he were here, grudgingly decked in a tux, and perhaps even shaved for the occasion.

The place to Wilson's right was conspicuously vacant and he pointedly looked anywhere else. He'd managed a bachelor party with no best man and gotten off-his-ass, embarrassingly drunk without any outside help. He was learning, he was adapting; being the hero instead of the sidekick wasn't so bad. Maybe.

_People are dying who wouldn't have before. _He tried not to think it but there it was.

She stepped from the doors at the back of the church.

_He gave her to me and I gave him a death sentence._

Her father clung to her arm as though she was still the dying woman who might yet slip away.

_He was a bastard, but he was the hero._ He forced a smile on his face and hoped misery was a good enough stand-in for joy.

She smiled back at him tremulously. She hadn't been the same since then, possessed by shifting spirits of sympathy and rage. Sometimes, he thought she saw the regret in his eyes. He'd never wanted that.

_Oh, God, how do I do this without him?_ There was no answer and he didn't know what he should have expected.

When her father joined their hands Wilson felt like he'd been kicked in the chest. Her eyes were so unbelievably blue today, on a day when any other color would be a comfort. In their depths, he saw a familiar cynicism growing. She knew this wouldn't last, as he did. And yet, it was the least they could do to go through the motions.

_This is the price we paid for you to live._

Her mother wasn't the only one crying when they said, "I do."

His best friend would have smacked him on the back and told him to man up. He would have gotten him pissed drunk, then, let him crash on his couch. He would have argued Amber to the ground about the flowers and warned her not to hold the ceremony in a sanctuary for fear of lightning. He would have either charmed or horrified her parents and certainly humiliated Wilson. He would have been right here, whispering in his ear about the getaway car idling outside and all the things they could do in Vegas. His very presence could have prevented this from being one of Wilson's greatest mistakes.

Later on, as the reception lingered and the best man's toast was spent in silence, House's absence was all he felt. His best friend could have made all the difference today, but he wasn't here.

Wilson thought he'd rather be in Vegas.


End file.
